Generations of curiosity

For more than 120 years, we have been driven by our passion and curiosity for wood. For generations, we have surrounded ourselves with Douglas – Experiencing at first hand the generous atmosphere it brings to a space that is not only pleasing to the eye, but to all our senses. The perceptual qualities are just some of the reasons why we are celebrating this extraordinary tree.

From forest to molecules

How do you record and collect the smell of a tree? Together with Sissel Tolaas, we travelled from Schwarzwald in Germany to our main production site in Jels, Southern Denmark. Equipped with special recording gear, smells from the impressive Douglas trees were collected. Sissel Tolaas’ meticulous recordings were first registered as data and hence converted to an archive of recorded molecules, an archive we call DD–1, from where we can explore a rich variety of Dinesen Douglas smells.

From our DD–1 archive, we have isolated certain molecules we found interesting in order to create an essence of Dinesen Douglas through the sense of smell.

The sense and science of smell

Why are we curious about the sense of smell? Stepping into a room with Dinesen planks makes an impression that goes beyond visual stimuli; it immediately invites you to inhale the wood too.

The sense of smell is the only one that directly stimulates our limbic system; a system in our brain that supports functions such as emotions and memories, while other senses are filtered before our brain can respond. In other words, the sense of smell is extremely powerful.

With this collaboration, we aim to highlight this extraordinary sense and its features by investigating and documenting the smells that we are so fond of and that surround us on a daily basis.

Dinesen x Sissel Tolaas


Norwegian researcher Sissel Tolaas investigates the fields of smell and communication, and for more than 20 years, she has utilised her passion for the sense of smell, and through numerous projects, she has encouraged others to embrace the world’s natural smells instead of trying to camouflage them.

The collaboration between Dinesen and Sissel Tolaas is an open invitation to activate your senses. Instead of merely observing beautiful wooden planks, you become part of the experience by smelling and sensing them.